


Right in front of you

by khanh



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Healing Theme, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Wrong number
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:15:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28572123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khanh/pseuds/khanh
Summary: Ace is woken up in the middle of the night by an unknown number. On the other end of the line is weak sobbing from a stranger.“…He broke up with me.”..Or maybe, the right time just hasn’t come yet. But it will come,the moment will come.
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace
Comments: 12
Kudos: 128





	Right in front of you

Ace throws himself into bed and snuggles in his sheets. Now he can fully enjoy the coziness of his new apartment after a long week of unboxing. It has a bigger bedroom and is quite close to his workplace, a local radio station. Born with narcolepsy, there’s nothing Ace values more than a good sleep and there’s nothing he loathes more than being woken up in the middle of the night.

_Brrr--- Brrr--- Brrr---_

Ace opens his eyes and tries to make sense of his surroundings. 2:00 am, says the alarm clock. Hissing, he rolls to his side and covers himself with the blanket, hoping that the ringtone will eventually stop. It does stop, then buzzes again a few seconds later like a patient rattlesnake. Irritated, Ace gets out of bed to fetch his phone, feeling a bit regret for putting it too far from his reach. It’s an unknown number, but he picks up nonetheless.

“Hello? Who am I speaking--?

A hiccup.

“--I broke up with him.”

“I’m sorry?”

Another hiccup.

“I broke up with him, Thatch.”

Water pouring, then _clink_ – a short and high sound of glass objects. A sigh, a gulp, a burp, and a soft chuckle.

“Pathetic eh? I’m almost forty, and here’s I am. Drinking my sorrow away like a teenager.”

“…”

Ace purses his lips and hangs up. He’s in no mood of dealing with a drunkard at the fucking 2:00 am. Turning off the phone, Ace tries to get back to his sleep. As his consciousness begins to swirl in the land of dream, the ringtone buzzes again, cruelly pulling him out of his fantasy. Ace groans and swipes the receiving icon on reflex, only to realize in horror that it’s the same number.

“Haha, weirdddd, Thatch. Did you just hang up?” The man drawls, his voice is barely audible. “I visited you yesterday. You were still sleeping.”

That catches Ace off guard. It takes him one second to process its meaning before he straightens himself and be wide awake. One thing Ace has mastered after years of being a radio host is how to evaluate someone’s situation bases solely on their voice. A lot of jerks have called in the station’s line just to pull a shitty frank; but in some rare cases, there’re people desperate for someone to talk to, and some are in a dangerous situation that needs the police to get involved.

Is this guy watching someone in their sleep? Is he a stalker? Ace focuses on the background noises to find his answer and notices the sound of wind hollering. He hopes the guy is not in a car right now since his current state is definitely illegal to drive.

“Where are you?”

“My place, where else? I can’t go back to Pops-”

Water pouring again with a louder clink. “Oh oops.” The man makes a swift movement. A More clang and clatter. Cylinder objects rolling. An angry grunt. Clang and clatter again. _Creakkk_. A cold and loud sound of metal sliding against each other. Then flapping noise of fabric in the wind overwhelms it all.

The man sighed, a deep sigh that expresses a shade of sorrow even it is soon lost in the wind hollering, then follows his breathing, stable, yet lifeless.

Ace bits his lip. Every sound suggests the man is on a balcony. Maybe he should dial the firefighter instead of the police.

“What happened?” He asks cautiously.

“Nothing new. Overwork, and insomnia. Just- daily stuff. Oh, did I mention I broke up?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah, I know it’ll end anyway.” The man laughs with a sarcastic tone but his voice cracks at the end. Then he takes another gulp and makes a scornful sound. “Pathetic, eh?”  
Ace takes a deep breath, remember the days he was still an intern and had to stay up late as the hotline operator. There’ve been people calling to the station just to be heard, for their stories to be heard.

“Tell me about them.”

“Haha, I told you a few times, didn’t I? Met him at a bar two months ago. Fuck. A few dinners, then fuck again. How do they call this? Friends with benefit? Sex friends? Pffff-” The man laughs, “Why they all have the word ‘friend’? I don’t even know if he has a brother or not.”

Okay, so… lovers’ quarrel then, maybe not as serious as he expected. Ace lets out a sigh of relief, then he begins to wonder if he should continue the conversation or not. One, he’s single, and two, he hasn’t been in a relationship for a while. Ace isn’t sure he’s up-to-date with dating rules. Becoming a love guru for a stranger at 2:00 am is definitely some wild experience he needs to tell his brothers.

“Did you fall for him?”

Ace asks, trying to lighten the mood, but answering him is just silence - uncomfortable deafening silence - hanging in the air like a suspended moment and awkward in its nothingness. That scares Ace a bit and he unconsciously holds his breath, wondering if the man just fell asleep or maybe he has crossed the line.

Then suddenly the man makes a sarcastic huff.

“No.” He cracks a hoarse sound, “I fell for the idea of being love.”

Then he sighs again, a long and endless sound like any other days are better days.

“--I always know it’s going to end, Thatch. I always know. I’m not ready for a relationship. Not now. Not yet. Never.”

The man takes another shot.

“Maybe because of that time. You know, when I got rejected in high school. I forgot why I liked him in the first place, but what he did…” A soft chuckle, “Damn, it hurts. It hurts. How strange to be upset for the same event over and over again even it happened like two decades ago.”

“How strange… There’re things that cannot… be forgotten… no matter how hard you tried.”

“Sometimes it makes me wonder if I’m worthy as a partner.”

_If I’m a grown-up man. If I will ever be able to settle down._

“I want to be proved that I can be loved too. But you know, maybe I’m still that eighteen years old kids, who just too afraid of being love.”

“Speaking of that bastard, you punched him in the face.” The man laughs, “You punched him and kept yelling: ‘Don’t mess with my brother’”.

Then his voice abruptly goes higher.

“Hey Thatch, we’re brothers right?!”

There is it, the man who is still sleeping. Base on how the man’s voice raises an octave to the point of nearly broken, Ace doesn’t like where this is going.

“When will you wake up idiot?! You’ve been sleeping for- _Two! Goddamn! Years!”_

The final words crack into sober and pain.

“I… missed you Thatch. Why you, of all people?”

“You should have been here like you promised. You promised to be by my side whenever I’m heartbroken.”

The man hiccups and takes another shot. Bottles roll around, making ironically cheerful clinks. 

“Anyway, I’ll visit you tomorrow. It’s hard, you know. We’re in the same building and I can’t do anything at all. I should have taken damn neurosurgery instead of what I am doing eh? Then maybe, then maybe I can… I can…“

“Sorry I didn’t get your favorite daisies last time. When I get back to work I’m coming with a big bouquet.”

Then the other side of the line hangs up.

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Marco groans as the sunlight hisses at his face. Turning over, he catches clinking sound of bottles rolling on the floor. He closes his eyes trying to recall what happened yesterday. It’d been a tiring month for their hospital and he didn’t get any good sleep. As the situation got better, Dean Crocus granted him a two-day break. Marco is thankful for that because in the current state there’s no way he could get in the operating room without making any mistake. He remembers stopping at a convenience store to get some groceries, then he got a phone call from his.... Marco doesn’t know how to describe their relationship really. 'Sex friend' would be too vulgar, but they aren’t friends either.

“…Let’s break up.” The man said.

“Is it because of your ex?”

“…Yes. We’re getting back together. It was fun, Marco. Let’s do as our promise.”

“Of course. You have my blessings.”

Marco hanged up, then he turned around to grab some booze. He knew this day would come. He didn’t feel angry or sad. It’s just… empty, and he has the urge to fill that emptiness with alcohol. He didn’t love the guy, he never did, but he indeed wanted to be loved. Or rather, the fantasy of being in love is too tempting. Being in a relationship sometimes means having a little distraction from work and even life choices. He wants to escape the reality that he couldn’t do anything to help Thatch.

His brothers advised him to find a relationship so he did, but deep down inside Marco knows he isn’t ready to commit with anyone. He just isn’t ready yet even it has been two decades since his first heartbreak. Ironically, he truly wants a committed relationship. Yeah he’s that type of greedy man - not ready to commit but at the same time long to be with someone. Marco is about to reach his middle-aged soon, but sometimes he still cannot make sense of himself or this world.

Marco wants a relationship, oh he wants for so damn long. He allowed himself to believe that maybe he and the guy might fall in love one day and he could bear his heart. But they both knew the truth: the guy wanted to get over his heartbreak and Marco just wanted to be in a 'relationship’. There were no promises, no sharing. They were more like comrades taking care of each other’s wounds.

Said relationship is no longer his path for running away and leads Marco to where he is right now – having a terrible headache while vomiting his guts out. The clock on the wall points at 3, he must have slept for more than 10 hours.

After cleaning himself up, Marco picks up his phone to make sure he doesn’t miss anything from his family. To his horror, Marco finds out he had called a stranger for fifteen minutes straight. Their number is only one digit different from Thatch’s, it’s pretty obvious he dialed the wrong number in his drunken state. Panic quickly seeps into Marco’s heart. What did he do? What did he say? He didn’t remember a thing. If it turned out he had said something inappropriate he could end up in a bad situation.

Marco’s finger hovers for a while but in the end, he lets go, not sure whether to call the stranger and apologize or pretend nothing happened and delete the number for good. He sighs at his indecisiveness and decides to read his family’s messages instead.

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[Vista sent to The Edward Ducklings]:

Turn on the radio now! Grand Line 99.5 FM, Smiley Morning!

[Curiel]:

It’s not one of your weird shows right?

[Namur]:

I thought Gothic Bedtime Series is at 11pm, not 9 in the morning?

.

[Edward sent to The Whitebeard Family]:

Voice chat: Turn on the radio, brats!

image.jpg

.

[Speed Jiru sent to The Edward Ducklings]:

Pops just sent a capscreen with you Vista.

Oh he knows how to capscreen now!

[Kingdew]:

Jozu, what the fuck?! Why don’t you tell us about this?

[Jozu]:

Morning, guys ^_^

[Haruta]:

What happened?! What did I miss?!

[Kingdew]:

image.jpg

Look at this son of a bitch smiling!

[Haruta]:

Ohhhhhhhh

Congrat, Jozu!

[Rakuyo]:

Motherfucker, not telling anyone about this!

We could’ve had a movie night.

[Jozu]:

I’m telling now.

It’s just a small interview.

[Izou]:

No no, I accept nothing less than a poker night with booze.

Next Sunday ok?

[Vista]:

I’m in.

[Rakuyo]:

+1. Congrat bro!

[Curiel]:

+2

…

[Haruta]:

+8

[Fossa]:

My shift ends in an hour. Does anyone have a backup link?

[Namur]:

This?

_Link_

…

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His brothers go on congratulating Jozu and discuss what to do next Sunday. Marco zooms in the picture Kingdew sent. It’s a picture of Jozu sitting in a film set in front of two hosts with the headline below:

_The man behind Selcouth Cendrillon Tiara and Miss Cindry’s engagement ring._

Marco isn’t into the celebrity world but Victoria Cindry is a big name. She made a name for herself in both music and film industry since her teenage years and her latest movies about a fallen queen earned her the tenth nomination for Grand Line Film Award. The pieces of jewels she wore in that movie – most noticeable is a tiara made of diamond - is so iconic it became her trademark and is said to be the most beautiful wedding ornament that has ever been made.

The jeweler who made said tiara is Jozu Edward.

Of course Marco clicks on the link to support his brother. The show begins with pleasing theme music and happy cheer from the duo host.

“Welcome to ‘Miley Morning!”

“Grand Line’s Sunday is Grand Line’s fun-day. Guess what the billionaire Donquixote Doflamingo just did with the popular amusement park, Dressrosa-land.”

“The ‘Charming Prince’ Cavendish is in the studio to talk about his new film ‘Sleeping White Horse on the Forest’ and the accident with his partner Bartolomeo while promoting it.”

“They say kungfu dugong had gone extinct but guess what Straw Hat Expedition Crew just found in the desert of Alabasta.”

“And of course, a chat with our very special guest: Jozu Edward, the man behind the famous diamond tiara in Miss Cindy’s The Mad Golden Age, and recently, her engagement ring.”

“I’m Isuka Nailing.”

“And I’m Ace Portgas.”

Then they beam brilliantly to the camera. “Join us today on ‘Miley Morning!”

The cheerful theme music reminds Marco of his younger days when Pops turned on the radio to listen to his favorite music program. It was canceled a decade ago but the old man kept the habit. ‘Miley Morning has an upbeat tone that really suits a Sunday morning. The hosts are well-coordinated and they make quite insightful comments despite the news mostly focus on playful events. Smoothly, they lead the audience through the news segment and comes to Jozu’s interview.

Jozu, as always, is a quiet and reserved man. Marco knows behind his brother’s intimidating appearance is a kind heart but many judge a book by its cover. To Marco’s delight, in this show Jozu seems to be relaxed. He doesn’t talk much at first but the duo know how to break the ice and keep the flow joyful. When the interview ends Marco can tell Jozu is genuinely happy to be a part of the show.

A new segment pops up on the screen and the hosts cheer again. “And now it’s time for Messenger of Love”. The time on the progress bar isn’t many left, which means this may be the last segment of the show.

Marco hasn’t come up with anything to do yet, so he just lies there and continues with the program. If Thatch was here, he wouldn’t let him chew on the void like this. But Thatch wasn’t here, so Marco allows himself to be irresponsible.

“As you all know this is the show we’ll read out loud your message to your love one, in case you don’t know where they are, or you want to make a bigggg announcement to the world.” Isuka winks and opens a letter, “Today I will go first. Ok, the first letter is from One-Eyed Swordsman to his sensei, Mr. Four Glass.”

“Hey, sensei. I’m halfway to Wano right now. I’m fine, a talking cat found us and took us to a talking dog. Can you believe that? Talking animals? Anyway, I just got into a fight with Luffy because he wanted to go to the left while the correct way is definitely the right. He thinks he knows the way but I’m sure without me he’d be lost in Alabasta desert!”

“Sounds like he’s a member of Straw Hat Expedition Crew.” Ace snickers, “I heard that their captain has a knack for drawing problems out of nowhere. Good luck to you buddy.”

Then he opens another letter.

“Now is the message from Baroque to… Don Crocodile? Don? He must be a gentleman. Their message is: “We miss you, where are you? How the hell can we get in touch with you? Please contact us using this number.”

Ace flips the letter and shows a color code in front of the camera, “Look like we have a hidden message here. Don Crocodile, please get in touch with them as soon as possible will you?”

They continue with a few more letters. There’s a girl who is on cloud nine since she’s about to marry the love of her life, there’s an old man who just opened a pumpkin juice stall with his granddaughter, there’s a shipwright who wishes to have a drink with ‘pigeon guy’ in their favorite bar again,... Marco purses his lips as he listens to the stories, each is vivid and full of life. They make him envious of the passion he doesn't have. Why can’t he feel happy with what he's having right now?

“And for the last message, I actually request the director for us to air this. This is a letter from X to ‘anyone who would listen’”. Ace’s expression becomes serious as he opens the letter. Isuka gives him a supporting smile and Ace returns the gesture before reading out loud, “Life sucks. There, I said it, it sucks.

My mother is sick and my father works two jobs to pay the bills. My brother and I quit school to help. Seven years have gone by and none got any better. None. My father started drinking and so did my brother, maybe I’m having a problem with alcohol too. When I come to the hospital to visit my mother the thing she always says is ‘I’m sorry for being a burden’. And you know what, it is! I got tired of taking care of her! I got tired of my boss and when I got home I have to deal with a father who never seems to be sober. I got tired of cleaning the bottles and trying to find my brother in the middle of the night.

What’s the reason to keep trying? What’s the reason to carry on?

What’s the reason to make another day?!”

Ace closes the letter and takes a deep breath. He looks straight into the camera, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“This is… difficult. When I first read this, it nearly tears me apart. Life is… never easy, sometimes even cruel. You probably hear about ‘keep trying’ thousands of times already, maybe you say that in front of a mirror every day. But the worst part is: there is no deadline. No one knows the exact point where this all going to end. No one can tell if it’s truly worth it.

I… uh, yesterday, no, earlier today, I received a call from a drunk man at 2:00 am. He just broke up with someone, stressed about his work, and he has a brother who may be in a coma.”

Marco’s heart stops a beat.

“All I can hear for fifteen minutes straight is the sound of bottles clanging, the man taking gulp after gulp and his laugh cracking in the middle of the night.”

His blood runs cold. The young man cannot be-

“I’m not saying who has it better or who has it worse because pain cannot be compared. Pain is personal and every pain is nothing but hurt. I’m not in your shoes, I don’t have the right to tell you to do anything. But let me tell you another story, will that be okay?

Once there’s a boy, son of a criminal, and people hate him for that. They hate him because of his blood even though it’s something out of his control, so he ended up hating the world. He involved in many bad deeds, then he caught himself in an accident that a sharp object pierced through his torso. He could have been dead, but he was saved. When he was awake, the first thing he wanted to know was why there were people who wanted to save a kid like him.

Then a doctor told him, ‘You can always begin again since you’re alive’.

He found it really hard to believe because there was no way he could love the world or love his fate, but in the end, he did. He met the right people, and he loved them with all of his heart. Suddenly it’s all worth it. He didn’t know the moment would come, but when it did, he thanked for his existence.

Hope is an illusion. A happy ending is not guaranteed. Life is… unpredictable. The only thing we hold for sure is our mind. If we lost that to life too, it will be too cruel.

Accept your life is hard and love it is even harder, but, but, but! There’s always a but! There’s always a chance that all will fall to its place.

‘It doesn’t matter if you are hated by the world. We’re the children of the sea.’”

Marco doesn’t know how the program ends. He’s busy grasping the thoughts in his mind. A burning sensation whirls inside of him. It makes him want to go berserk and pushes the passivity out of his will, yet at the same time it also paralyzes him, forcing him to face that he’s indeed just a tiny part of this world.

_You can always begin again since you’re alive._

Pops likes to say the same thing. The old man said so when he took Marco out of the orphanage, when Marco failed the entrance test and when they were caught in an accident. He said so with each of his brothers, every time they lose a fight and every time they celebrate. He said so while looking at Thatch’s unconscious body. Along with joy and sweetness, pain and sorrow are also pieces of his heart that shaped who he is today.

Pops said many things. Humans like them are nothing in comparison to the wide world, but at the end of the line nothing really matters.

_It doesn’t matter if you are hated by the world. We’re the children of the sea._

‘Nothing’, really matters.

Marco looks at the sun goes down until darkness blankets it all. Another day has ended. The night is required for another day to rise.

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Marco is wakened up by the sound of his stomach growling.

_Another day, huh?_

After staring at his ceiling for ten minutes straight Marco manages to get up and have some cereal. Normally he’d also make a cup of coffee but then he remembers today is his day-off – he doesn’t need the daily dose of caffeine. Stepping out on the balcony, Marco is welcomed by the warm daylight. He can see the busy traffic below yet as a bystander his heart is less tired than its usual state. Closing his eyes, Marco takes a deep breath and recalls what Ace said yesterday.

_But! But! There’s always a but! There’s always a chance that all will fall to its place._

Suddenly he has the urge to do the laundry. Doing a mundane chore on a sunny day doesn’t sound so bad.

As Marco’s drying the clothes, his phone buzzes and his face grows solemn: it could be another emergency from the hospital. Marco picks up the phone and his heartbeat just stops, the number onscreen is the one he accidentally dialed two days ago.

Nervously, Marco accepts the call. 

“Hello, Dr. Huliuk? It’s Ace. I think Kotatsu is prepared for the operation. Can I come by at 3 today?”

“Uh…,” Marco swallows hard. Even if the man on the other line didn’t say his name out loud, his voice definitely confirmed that he’s Ace Portgas, the radio host of ‘Miley Morning. “I’m sorry, I’m not Dr. Huliuk. I believe you got the wrong number.”

“Huh?” The guy hums, then he makes an inaudible noise that sounds very like a squeak, “Oh shit, I’m sorry—“

“No, wait. _Mr. Portgas!_ I have something to say!”

Ace makes an exasperated gasp and Marco realizes he just shouted Ace’s alias out loud. He groans inwardly and decides to confess, “I … I listened to a radio show two days ago, uh, the ‘Miley Morning.”

“Oh my God, you watched that. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring your story on air. It’s just… I feel I should say something to cheer them up and I…”

“No, it’s not that-,” Marco grits his teeth. What should he say? He’d never thought he’d have this conversation at all. The awkwardness is so extreme he can hear the man on the other line holding his breath.

“It… It’s not your fault, Mr. Portgas. If anything, it’s me who had bothered you. I must have caused a lot of trouble for you. I don’t remember everything I said that night, but thank you for listening, and thank you for not hanging up on me. And what you said on the show means a lot.” Marco tries to choose the right words, “I… feel much better right now.”

“Really?” Ace asks hesitatingly, “So, uh, we’re good?”

“We’re good, Mr. Portgas.”

“Oh thank God.”

“I’m Marco by the way”

“Ace, but you know already.”

“…”

“…”

“May I ask you a thing, Mr. Portgas?”

“Ace is fine, and sure.”

“What did I say the other day? I just want to know if I said anything inappropriate.”

“…You mentioned that you just broke up with your boyfriend and you haven’t had a good sleep recently. And your brother too, you said he likes daisies but you didn’t get him daisies last time you visited, so you made sure to get a big bouquet to make up for it.”

Consider he woke up surrounded by empty bottles, he must have given Ace’s hard time. Marco sighed inwardly, appreciate that Ace’s voice lightens up while he mentions Thatch as if he’s trying to cheer Marco up.

Thump!

Something fell on Ace’s side.

“Oi, Kotatsu. Be careful!” Ace yells. _Whoosh_ , the sound of a curtain opens. “Sorry, that’s my cat. We just moved in for a week so he’s still exploring his new home.”

Crrrr!

At the exact moment, the glass door of Marco’s next-door apartment also slides open. About this neighbor, Marco knows someone new had moved in last week but he was so busy he never has the chance to say hi. Whoever they are, they seem nice. Marco once found a jar of coffee with a small note in front of his door.

_Hi 103, this is 104. I’m Ace Gol, 24 years old single man with a big grumpy cat. I’m terrible at music so you won’t be wakened up by bad instruments. Hope you like my humble greeting. If you don’t drink coffee, I have tea too._

Marco chuckles, maybe he should come by and gives them something as a gift, then he gets back to his conversation with Ace.

“No problem at all. Are you alright? Didn’t break anything?”

“Yeah, so…”

Ace drags out the words and Marco wants to hit himself.

“Oh-oh! I’m sorry for bothering you too much, Ace. Thank you, thank you.”

“It’s alright. I’m glad you’re feeling better, Mr. Marco.”

“Please, Marco is fine.”

“So Marco, I-uh, I know this may be a bit awkward. No, it’s very awkward. Do you mind if I say what’s on my mind right now?”

“Not at all,” Marco assured, “You listened to me talking nonsense at 2am. This is the least I can do for you.”

“I want to say… The universe has its own way, or at least that’s what I believe.” Ace clears his throat, “Even if everything seems out of place right now, they will connect at the end of the line. If you tried your best but what you yearn for weren’t there yet, maybe the world has a message for you: there’s something else for you to do, there’s someone else for you to meet. Or maybe, the right time just hasn’t come yet. But it will come, the moment will come…”

_Meow._

Marco looks to the balcony next door and finds a black cat staring at him curiously, then behind it comes a young man in a plain t-shirt and jeans, one hand holds a cellphone while the other holds a bowl of cat food. As he places the bowl down, he notices Marco and gives him a brilliant grin. Golden sunlight pampers his face in sweetness, making his freckles flickers like the stars.

Marco feels as if time has stopped for a second and the world suddenly gets much brighter.

Then the man speaks to his phone.

“And when you least know it, the miracle may already be right in front of you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I hope you’re doing well and this story makes sense somehow ^_^ I have the draft finished like… 2 years ago lol, yet somehow I only completed it today. It has been a tough year, I believe we all deserve some rest. Thank you for carrying on. Happy New Year. Wish you all the best ^^


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